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Family Fun, Easy Recipes & Parenting Stories from Latina Working MomWed, 21 Feb 2018 00:20:35 +0000en-UShourly1https://i1.wp.com/www.modernmami.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/cropped-modernmami-favicon.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1work at home – modernmami™https://www.modernmami.com
3232Why This Working Mom Agrees with Mayer’s ‘No Work from Home’ Policyhttps://www.modernmami.com/wahm/working-mom-agrees-with-mayer-no-work-from-home-policy/
https://www.modernmami.com/wahm/working-mom-agrees-with-mayer-no-work-from-home-policy/#commentsMon, 04 Mar 2013 19:08:46 +0000https://www.modernmami.com/?p=6460Editor’s note: The following is an anonymous guest post from a working mom of one child. She shares her personal views on the recent discussions of working from home and Marissa Mayer’s ban on telecommuting for Yahoo employees. Last week, when I heard Yahoo’s CEO Marissa Mayer was going to put a ban on telecommuting, […]

Editor’s note: The following is an anonymous guest post from a working mom of one child. She shares her personal views on the recent discussions of working from home and Marissa Mayer’s ban on telecommuting for Yahoo employees.

I work for one of the largest media companies in the world, a place ranked as one of the best places to work for women , specifically working mothers. And I suppose that is true – but, only for some mothers.

Shared Motherhood, Different Lifestyles

My boss and I were pregnant at the same time. We are about the same age. We have the same hour-long commute – except in opposite directions. When my boss entered her sixth month of pregnancy, she started working from home two days a week. I worked almost to the end.

In my eighth month of pregnancy, there was a transit strike. During those few days, I came into the office with my husband (a FedEx employee) who drove into work with his coworkers. I was in the office by 6 in the morning and didn’t leave until after six in the evening – when my husband got out of work. I did this for several days – with no overtime, not even a thank you for making the effort to come in. At this point, my boss was working remotely five days a week.

I returned to work from maternity leave in early May, my boss did too – except she worked remotely for another month before returning to the office. I left my baby with a neighbor, while she had a nanny coming to her house. When my boss returned to work, she explained that she would be working remotely two days a week. She was breastfeeding and needed the time to bond with her child.

Two years later, my boss stopped breastfeeding, but continued to work remotely. Her son was enrolled in classes during the week and she wanted to be as involved as possible. “These are the most important years – I want to be there for him as much as I can,” she said.

I would have liked that option too. But, I came into the office 5 days a week – if I worked through my lunch, I was allowed to leave at 4:30 instead of 5:30.

No Flexible Options for Most

When my son was diagnosed with autism, I went into my boss’ office – crying, overwhelmed and uncertain of what to do. My son’s therapy required 15 – 20 hours per week of home-based therapy. I remember asking if I could work from home temporarily – at least one day a week so that I could be involved and he could get the maximum amount of therapy. My boss explained that working from home could not be an option for me – “Your job requires you to be in the office,” she said. The best she could do was reduce my work hours, which would impact my salary and vacation time. It was an option I couldn’t afford.

I was lucky I had my mother who was willing to help, that my husband worked less hours (making less money) and that I found a therapist willing to work later hours in the day, so I can at least catch the last thirty minutes of her therapy sessions.

Our sons are now seven years old, and my boss still works from home two (sometimes three) days a week. On her work-from-home days, she gets to take her son to school and pick him up. She schedules medical appointments, signs her son up for after-school activities, volunteers at her son’s school as a helping parent, and chaperones class trips and runs errands.

On her “work-from-home” days, she takes care of all the things that require me to take vacation time.

Having a child with special needs requires many appointments; many of my vacation days are spent sitting in waiting rooms. If the tables were reversed – if my boss’ son had special needs – she’d never take a vacation day for an appointment. She’d never have to choose between working and being there for her child; she’d get to be involved in everything.

Earlier this year, my son’s school bus company was on strike. My son’s school is more than twenty miles away from our home and with limited options, I was forced to choose between going to work and sending my son to school. Within two weeks, I took four vacation days, struggling to get my son to and from school.

With no idea how long the strike would last, I asked my boss about options. I knew better than to ask for a work from home option but in such an extreme case, it would have been a great option to have. Once again, there was nothing my boss could do except offer me time off without pay. And then we discussed her schedule for the following week – she was switching her work from home days because it was her son’s birthday and she was going to his school to celebrate. (Insensitive much?)

Working From Home a Privilege, for Some

Working from home is a privilege, a luxury offered to a woman like my boss – a working mother with a six-figure salary who has a nanny, a housekeeper and a husband with a six-figure salary. And my boss has me – an administrative assistant – who faxes and photocopies her son’s insurance forms, prints out her holiday card labels and other personal things that have absolutely nothing to do with the company. She doesn’t have time for these things, she says.

My boss isn’t the only working mother in our office who has the privilege to work from home and be there for her children. Other high level executives have that option, while their assistants come into the office five days a week, leaving their children with babysitters, daycare centers, and after-school programs. To say this blatant inequality in the office causes resentment and animosity among working mothers is an understatement.The message sent to the lower income working mothers? Some women’s children matter and others don’t.

I know this isn’t the reasoning behind Marissa Mayer’s decision to have all employees return to the office. But this ‘uproar about working mothers’ speaks only to a certain demographic of women. Unless companies are willing to provide all employees with the option to work from home and/or flexible work arrangements, then it shouldn’t be offered at all.

]]>https://www.modernmami.com/wahm/working-mom-agrees-with-mayer-no-work-from-home-policy/feed/4Marissa Mayer & Yahoo Send a Clear (Negative) Message to Employees & Working Parentshttps://www.modernmami.com/wahm/marissa-mayer-yahoo-send-negative-message-to-working-parents/
https://www.modernmami.com/wahm/marissa-mayer-yahoo-send-negative-message-to-working-parents/#commentsMon, 25 Feb 2013 04:36:07 +0000https://www.modernmami.com/?p=6422News of Yahoo CEO, Marissa Mayer, eliminating workplace flexibility and forcing all employees to work in the office (even those that were already telecommuting) hit the Internet this past weekend with much backlash. Many people felt her decision negatively affects working parents and destroys chances of moving forward with modern workplace policies. In a time […]

News of Yahoo CEO, Marissa Mayer, eliminating workplace flexibility and forcing all employees to work in the office (even those that were already telecommuting) hit the Internet this past weekend with much backlash. Many people felt her decision negatively affects working parents and destroys chances of moving forward with modern workplace policies. In a time when families are often choosing between work and family and struggling to manage various aspects of life, I have to agree that the decision of Yahoo and their CEO was a bad one.

Granted, it is not Yahoo’s or Mayer’s responsibility to show the way for the entire workforce, but as with much in this world, big companies take the example of other big companies. You can be sure this decision to not allow employees to work from home, will become a case study of sorts that other CEOs and company managers will use to justify their own telecommute decisions. That’s the thing about leadership – even when you don’t mean to be a leader, by being in a leadership position (which CEO of a large technology company most certainly is), you are automatically looked to for leadership.

Marissa Mayer has had an opportunity to be a leader for women, especially, and has failed twice to seize those opportunities. Instead, the example she’s set both times have in many ways set women back when it comes to the struggles we face in the workforce. But, let’s be clear that it’s not just women affected by her decisions. These days, men are also wanting better work flexibility and the opportunity to be more present for their families.

Perhaps Mayer isn’t trying to be antiquated in her methods, but just trying to get a company back on track by bringing all employees together under one building. Maybe. But, as I told a friend in another online forum, Marissa Mayer could have (easily) individually assessed each employee’s status, work standards, and productivity level, and made the proper adjustments where necessary. If that meant some employees would no longer be able to telecommute, then as a CEO, she has a responsibility to retract that perk (for those individuals) in the best interest of the company. However, I’m sure there are some employees that are being more productive by telecommuting and having the flexibility, that will now suffer greatly (both at work and at home) in adhering to the new no telecommuting policy. Instead of creating a blanket policy that will affect all employees, Marissa Mayer could have taken a more staggered approach.

I don’t expect that one woman, or even one company, will fix the workforce issues women and parents face. But, I do believe that a person who leads should consider the message sent in making such bold decisions. And the message sent by Mayer and Yahoo is loud and clear – we are not flexible.

What are your thoughts on Yahoo and Marissa Mayer’s decision to not allow their employees to work from home? Do you feel it sets working parents back? Or is this just good business for Yahoo?

]]>https://www.modernmami.com/wahm/marissa-mayer-yahoo-send-negative-message-to-working-parents/feed/11Avon Home Business Advice from Avon Regional Vice Presidenthttps://www.modernmami.com/wahm/avon-home-business-advice/
https://www.modernmami.com/wahm/avon-home-business-advice/#commentsWed, 01 Feb 2012 00:24:33 +0000https://www.modernmami.com/?p=4778Our last Avon representative interview in our Avon home business series was held earlier this month. I spoke with Maria Sutej, a Regional Vice President in Sales at Avon Products, Inc. Maria has been with Avon since 1983, when she began as a District Sales Manager. Twenty-nine years is a long time, but Maria said […]

]]>Our last Avon representative interview in our Avon home business series was held earlier this month. I spoke with Maria Sutej, a Regional Vice President in Sales at Avon Products, Inc. Maria has been with Avon since 1983, when she began as a District Sales Manager. Twenty-nine years is a long time, but Maria said she “…started this for fun, but had no idea it could be SO much fun!”

Maria shared that there are two ways Avon representatives can make money: 1) by building a home business based only on Avon sales and 2) by taking advantage of the leadership opportunity. She says the latter is where the true business opportunity lies, in not only selling to customers, but also recruiting new representatives. For maximum earning potential, Maria suggests representatives do both.

Maria also shared a couple of stories of Avon representatives she’s come in contact with over the years. She told us about Linda Jones, who was laid off from a corporate job about six years ago and started selling Avon due to the loss of income. Linda now sells $78,000 of product per year and earns about half of that. Another story Maria shared was that of Donna Reed Mitchell, who is originally from Jamaica and started her Avon career in New York. Donna’s daughter was diagnosed with an illness requiring her to home-school. Donna is a Sr. Executive Unit Leader earning a six-figure income and says she wouldn’t be able to home-school if it weren’t for her Avon business.

Maria’s advice for new representatives is to start approaching not only people you know, but also people you don’t know at various places you go. She said if you want to build a big business, you need to establish yourself. Her suggestion is that representatives list places they frequent and think of who they can approach. A key reminder is to not be afraid of approaching strangers; as Maria said, most people’s response is “I haven’t seen an Avon brochure in years!”

I asked Maria how Avon representatives can take advantage of social media to market their Avon businesses. She responded that Facebook is a great way to spread word and that she sees a lot of representatives using it to launch their business. Maria also mentioned that the internal Avon site has Internet marketing tools to help representatives, including videos, e-cards, and other content.

It’s clear that success through an Avon home business can be different for everyone. In interviewing the various Avon representatives over the past few months, we’ve seen a variety of levels of earning potential and business models. I think the great thing in all that is that Avon provides flexibility and allows each representative to create the home business that’s right for them.

]]>https://www.modernmami.com/wahm/avon-home-business-advice/feed/6The Perfectly Balanced Dayhttps://www.modernmami.com/wahm/work-life-balance-perfect-day/
https://www.modernmami.com/wahm/work-life-balance-perfect-day/#commentsWed, 25 Jan 2012 18:29:40 +0000https://www.modernmami.com/?p=4713Yesterday was one of those days I wish I could repeat – everything flowed, things got done, balance was had. It’s amazing how one day going smoothly can lift your spirits and motivate you to make it happen again. Because I had such a great day, I feel like I need to record it. Sometimes […]

Yesterday was one of those days I wish I could repeat – everything flowed, things got done, balance was had. It’s amazing how one day going smoothly can lift your spirits and motivate you to make it happen again.

Because I had such a great day, I feel like I need to record it. Sometimes you have to sit back and remind yourself of all that went good – little or big. Though this is simple in the grand scheme of things, having a day where work, family, and personal time were in-line is definitely something to celebrate.

We are often striving to create work-life balance, and I talk about it quite often, so I absolutely want to share with you the specifics of how my day went. I hope that by doing so, you will see a glimpse of your own day or find some ideas for small changes you can make in your routine. With that, I share my perfectly balanced day and what I hope will become a regular daily routine for achieving work-life balance in my life.

Personal Daily Routine for Work-Life Balance

6 am: Woke up with hugs from baby boy and baby girl. After a bit of snuggling, dragged myself out of bed and began the morning routine of getting dressed and making sure baby girl got ready for school.

7:30 am: Breakfast time for both kids before heading out the door.

8-8:30 am: Dropped baby girl off at school.

8:30-9 am: Baby boy fell asleep on the ride back home, so waited in driveway for him to take a short nap while reading emails and checking in on Twitter and Facebook on my phone. I also found photo to use in blog post.

9:15-9:45 am: Took out some frozen already-cooked turkey to thaw for dinner. Then, while baby boy sat in his high chair with a snack, did my morning workout to Just Dance 3.

9:45-10:30 am: Ate breakfast, hung out with baby boy, and worked on blog post draft.

10:30-10:45 am: Phone call with client.

10:45-11:30 am: Finished and published blog post. Proceeded to work on marketing it via Facebook, Twitter, and StumbleUpon. Also, posted updates to various social media platforms and groups.

11:30 am – 12 pm: Played with baby boy and continued miscellaneous work on email and social media monitoring.

12 noon: Lunch for baby boy and myself.

12:30-2:30 pm: Continued work in-between playing with baby boy. When he played quietly on the floor, I’d check email or read articles, blog posts, etc. We went back and forth during this time quite a bit.

2:30-3 pm: Picked up baby girl from school

3-4:30 pm: Baby boy fell asleep on the ride home, so baby girl and I took this opportunity to have a tea party and afternoon snack. While she set up the tea party and changed into a princess outfit, I began cooking a turkey soup for dinner. I had enough time to shred the turkey, add all other ingredients and set the pot to simmer, plus sit down with baby girl for a princess tea party and snack before baby boy woke up.

4:30-5 pm: After a quick snack for baby boy, he and his big sister played together and watched TV alone. I ran upstairs to back up some files on our main computer and freshen myself up for the evening.

5-6 pm: Hung out with the kids, fed baby boy dinner, and picked up clutter in the living room. Baby boy got a little fussy during this time too.

6-7:30 pm: After my husband came home, we sat down for dinner, along with baby girl. Afterwards, the kids hung out with daddy and I cleaned up the kitchen.

7:30-8 pm: Bath/shower time for all.

8-8:40 pm: The husband read baby girl her bedtime story and tucked her in while I helped baby boy relax and fall asleep. Some nights baby boy falls asleep quickly, but with the afternoon nap he had, it took a while for him to calm down.

8:45-11 pm: With the kids in bed, the husband and I were finally able to hang out, talk about our days, and watch a little TV before heading to bed ourselves.

The reason this day worked out so great for me is that I felt accomplished. I was able to work on various areas of my life – not just work or just family. I was productive, got work done, spent time with the family, and even took time for myself.

Of course, not every day will work out so great. I know there will be days where baby boy won’t take two naps or will need more attention due to fussiness. There will be days when I’ll need to run errands and I won’t be able to get as much work done. That’s fine. We have to be flexible, right? The important thing is to remember days like these where all did go well and try to replicate them by following a routine as much as possible.

Why don’t you take some time to write out your daily schedule and reflect on what works and what you can improve? Where can you make some changes to your routine to ease the fluidity of the day?

]]>https://www.modernmami.com/wahm/work-life-balance-perfect-day/feed/7Avon Representative Helping Kids’ Schools Through Part-Time Avon Home Businesshttps://www.modernmami.com/wahm/avon-home-business-part-time/
https://www.modernmami.com/wahm/avon-home-business-part-time/#commentsMon, 02 Jan 2012 16:09:28 +0000https://www.modernmami.com/?p=4598Our partnership with Avon continues with a second profile of an Avon representative. I had the chance to speak last month with Yesenia Ward who lives in Las Vegas, Nevada and has been with Avon since October 2007. She moved to Vegas from California and as a stay at home mom (SAHM), she was seeking […]

]]>Our partnership with Avon continues with a second profile of an Avon representative. I had the chance to speak last month with Yesenia Ward who lives in Las Vegas, Nevada and has been with Avon since October 2007. She moved to Vegas from California and as a stay at home mom (SAHM), she was seeking something that would allow her to have more adult interaction. Soon after, she found an Avon brochure in her driveway; she considered the find to be a sign, so she called to inquire about selling.

Yesenia was already familiar with Avon, since growing up, her mom often had Avon books around the house and was an Avon customer. Her whole family is involved in her business; her two sons especially, ages six and seven, help bag and deliver products. Yesenia mentioned that some customers even request to have their products delivered by her sons!

With Avon, you can make the business your own and work as much or as little as you want. Yesenia takes advantage of this and runs her business mostly part-time, but full-time during her boys’ school breaks. She estimates she puts in about five hours a day while her boys are in school.

The majority of Yesenia’s business comes from one-on-one face-to-face meetings. She carries business cards and also has a website through the Avon site. Lots of people contact her through the website for both purchasing as well as for more information on becoming an Avon representative. Yesenia also uses Facebook to advertise her Avon link and keep family informed.

Since the majority of her business comes from personal interactions, it’s no wonder that word of mouth is the top way Yesenia finds new representatives. She explained to me that her mom works at a casino and shares information on Yesenia’s business to customers. Yesenia’s husband is in the army, so another way word spreads is through the wives of his coworkers.

I asked Yesenia what keeps her motivated to continue her Avon business, to which she responded that she loves she can work on her own time without a boss. She shares her story with new representatives and lets them know how easy it is for their schedule. She says, “Avon sells itself with not a lot of effort.” Yesenia has about fifteen representatives under her and periodically meets with them one-on-one. She would like to host in-home parties, but hasn’t been able to yet.

It took Yesenia a while to make money selling Avon. At first, she started selling only to friends and family. After three months of selling Avon, she became a unit leader, which is when she started seeing more income come in. Any income Yesenia earns always goes towards her kids’ schools, their supplies, etc.

Yesenia’s story is different from our last featured Avon representative, Sylvia Tamayo, but that is the beauty of being an Avon representative and selling Avon products. You can make your Avon business be whatever you want it to be. In fact, I’d say that’s the top benefit of any home-based business and being your own boss! Don’t you think?

]]>https://www.modernmami.com/wahm/avon-home-business-part-time/feed/7Latina Avon Representative Builds Successful Home-Based Businesshttps://www.modernmami.com/wahm/avon-representative-builds-home-business/
https://www.modernmami.com/wahm/avon-representative-builds-home-business/#commentsSat, 05 Nov 2011 00:10:52 +0000https://www.modernmami.com/?p=4432As part of our partnership with Avon, I’ll have the opportunity to highlight a couple of representatives and even attend a local Avon meeting in order to learn more about the daily lives of Avon representatives. This past month, I spoke with an Avon representative from Texas who’s owned an Avon business for 15 years! […]

]]> As part of our partnership with Avon, I’ll have the opportunity to highlight a couple of representatives and even attend a local Avon meeting in order to learn more about the daily lives of Avon representatives. This past month, I spoke with an Avon representative from Texas who’s owned an Avon business for 15 years! Her story is actually quite inspiring and she was a pleasure to speak with. Her energy is admirable and it was clear to me why she’s so successful when she ended our conversation by asking me, “Would you like to be an Avon representative? It’s very easy!”

Sylvia Tamayo is a native of Mexico and moved to Texas 18 years ago. One day, as she and her daughters went for their daily walk, Sylvia met a District Sales Manager who was recruiting new Avon representatives. Since Sylvia was actually looking for an opportunity, she seized the opportunity and signed up on the spot. Sylvia was a bit familiar with Avon already, as her mom used to sell Avon in Mexico when Sylvia was about 6 years old.

Sylvia runs her Avon business full-time, saying she works from 9 am – 6 pm Monday through Friday. She also sometimes conducts business on weekends or in the evening, primarily for business calls or meetings. Despite the busy work schedule, Sylvia says her Avon business allows for flexibility in work hours when compared to a traditional job. For example, she explained to me that if her children have appointments, she can work around them.

When I asked Sylvia about work-life balance and how she balances her business with her family, she said she multitasks and combines many responsibilities. Her day normally starts at 6 am and she makes sure to keep business going by “sharing the opportunity wherever, whenever,” even at the doctor’s office. That’s why she carries her business cards with her at all times. In order to keep her home-based business and family separate, though, Sylvia does try to maintain her schedule of 9-6. If she needs to, she stops working and attends to her family and after 6 pm, her time is reserved for family.

According to Sylvia, her community is 99% Hispanic and almost 90% of the 900 representatives in her down-line are Latina. She says she likes to help people and teach them, which has been her number one motivation for continuing as an Avon representative all these years. She enjoys helping other representatives and it gives her great satisfaction when other representatives succeed and no longer have financial problems.

Sylvia earns a full-time income as an Avon Senior Executive Unit Leader and pays for most of her household’s expenses. She says the key is to start every day as if you are a new representative and share the opportunity with everyone, at least five new people each day. Sylvia mainly recruits new representatives face-to-face. The majority of her sales come from face-to-face interactions and personal customers. She hosts an exclusive party for her customers twice a year, which provides them with an incentive to purchase from her.

Her success was recently recognized by Avon and Sylvia was invited to appear in a national TV ad. You can check out Sylvia in the commercial, found below, which ran on networks such as Oxygen and Bravo.

I think much can be learned from Sylvia’s story. It’s clear she’s worked hard to build a successful business, yet retains some of the energy, motivation, and drive one initially has when starting a business. Her passion definitely shows, which I’m sure is a driving force in ensuring her success. Many thanks to Sylvia for sharing her story with me and helping me learn about her business!

]]>https://www.modernmami.com/wahm/avon-representative-builds-home-business/feed/2Avon Celebrates 125 Years of Providing Women a Home-Based Business Opportunityhttps://www.modernmami.com/women/avon-home-business-125-anniversary/
https://www.modernmami.com/women/avon-home-business-125-anniversary/#commentsTue, 27 Sep 2011 02:36:06 +0000https://www.modernmami.com/?p=4254Chances are you’ve all had an encounter with Avon at one time or another. Whether you have sold Avon products yourself, know someone who does, or bought Avon products, surely Avon has crossed your path in some manner. For me, I believe my first Avon memory was created in Puerto Rico when I was a little […]

Chances are you’ve all had an encounter with Avon at one time or another. Whether you have sold Avon products yourself, know someone who does, or bought Avon products, surely Avon has crossed your path in some manner. For me, I believe my first Avon memory was created in Puerto Rico when I was a little girl.

A good friend of my mom is an Avon representative and has been for many years. I remember when we lived in Puerto Rico, she’d come by with her Avon catalog for my mom to look through. As a stay at home mom (or housewife if we use the term from those days), my mom’s friend was able to make money from home. That’s something Avon strongly supports, which is why I’m happy to be partnering with Avon over the next four months to bring you more information of their mission and representatives.

I was surprised to learn that Avon was founded in 1886, which means that many women had an opportunity to earn an income for themselves and families years before women could even vote. A little over a week ago, Avon celebrated their 125th birthday by honoring their Founder David McConnell’s mission to empower women to be economically independent, as well as celebrating the current 6.5 million representatives.

As you might expect, Avon representatives today are able to run their businesses differently than in the past, with many more tools at their disposal and the ability to incorporate technology. It’s no longer just about selling door-to-door and singing out, “Avon calling!”

Over the next few months, I’ll be able to highlight some representatives and will also get to meet with a local Avon rep in order to learn more about a typical day in the life of an Avon businesswoman. I hope to learn, and in turn, share, how Avon representatives incorporate technology into their businesses, if they market or sell online, and how they balance their business and daily lives.

Do you have personal experience with the Avon company or a memory to share? What would you like to know more about Avon and their representatives?

]]>https://www.modernmami.com/women/avon-home-business-125-anniversary/feed/6Tricks for Entertaining Kids when Working from Home?https://www.modernmami.com/wahm/tips-entertaining-kids-working-home/
https://www.modernmami.com/wahm/tips-entertaining-kids-working-home/#commentsTue, 22 Mar 2011 20:03:29 +0000https://www.modernmami.com/?p=3791Life with two kids is hectic. I thought my energetic 5-year-old kept me busy enough, but it’s ten times worse now. My days are full of too many diaper changes to count, slobbery shirts, and constant noise. That’s what gets to me the most I think. The noise. And, it’s not even coming from the […]

Life with two kids is hectic. I thought my energetic 5-year-old kept me busy enough, but it’s ten times worse now. My days are full of too many diaper changes to count, slobbery shirts, and constant noise. That’s what gets to me the most I think. The noise. And, it’s not even coming from the baby, really! Instead, the majority of the noise comes from my daughter.

I’m accustomed to baby noise. He cries, I figure out what’s bothering him, fix it, and we move on. But with her, it’s constant attention these days. It’s always, “Mommy, look at this,” or “Mommy, should I put this dress or this one on my doll?” or any other form of calling my attention. This is not during the times we are playing together, but rather during the designated “mommy is working and you need to keep busy” times.

You see, she used to attend preschool five days a week from 9-5. However, we had to cut back and she’s now attending only 3 hours each day. When you account for driving time to drop her off and pick her up, I only get 2 hours each day without her home with me. I’m still trying to adjust to the change.

I’ve attempted a variety of ways to keep her busy so that I can get some work done each day. From following a similar schedule to the one at her preschool, to letting her play games on the laptop while I work on another computer. They work for a bit, but without fail, she will come up to me to ask questions or simply to tell me about the activity she’s doing – like a narrator.

I love that she shares so much with me and definitely don’t want to discourage that. After all, less than 10 years from now she’ll be in her prime teenage years and will probably not want to share anything with me. So, of course, I want to create a habit of healthy conversation. But, I do need to get some work done. No work, no income.

I even explained that to her, “If mommy doesn’t get any work done, then I won’t get paid. I need to get paid so we can pay for food, clothes, our house and all the nice things you have.” Yesterday I took a different approach and compared my work deadlines to homework: “I have to be sure I get this work done today. It’s like your homework. If you don’t turn it in the day it’s due, that’s no good, right? So, it’s the same with my work.” And, she actually understood and responded with “If you don’t turn it in, you might get fired!”

But, alas, here we are again another day with her seeing me working and still talking to me just as much. I really hate to have to say, “Just be quiet so I can get some work done!” It seems like that may be where we’re headed, though.

That’s why I want to know what works for you. What are your tricks for getting some work done while your kids are home with you? Share your best tips for entertaining the kids when working from home!

]]>https://www.modernmami.com/wahm/tips-entertaining-kids-working-home/feed/14Home Office Technology…the Perfect Home Office Helperhttps://www.modernmami.com/wahm/home-office-technology-wahm/
Mon, 18 Oct 2010 12:13:23 +0000https://www.modernmami.com/?p=3247Guest Post by Lisa Kanarek Running a household can be more demanding than running a business. When your personal life and your business life are in the same place, technology is one of the best ways to manage all aspects of your life. Faster, better and easier-to-use technology is available and more affordable than before. […]

Running a household can be more demanding than running a business. When your personal life and your business life are in the same place, technology is one of the best ways to manage all aspects of your life. Faster, better and easier-to-use technology is available and more affordable than before. The dilemma isn’t whether there’s technology available to help you be more productive, it’s knowing which technology to use.

Finding the right computer

Technology changes often and trying to keep up with the latest computer is challenging, but not impossible. When you’re shopping for a desktop computer or a laptop, decide what you want it to do. Will you use it mostly for sending and answering emails, for handling word processing, or for doing design and layout projects? When you know your business needs, find the right computer to handle each task. No matter what tasks you’ll be handling, buy more memory than you think you’ll need. Eventually you’ll use it. Also, whether you buy a computer online or through a retailer, make sure technical support is only a phone call or an immediate appointment away.

Picking a Printer

A good printer can make you look good to your clients and prospects, while an unreliable machine can affect your business image. When you’re looking for a printer, find out the paper capacity. The more paper a printer holds, the less time you’ll spend having to add more. Also, look at the “footprint,” or the amount of desktop space it needs, including the paper tray and make sure you have enough room for it. I really like the Brother MFC-J615W because it has a compact, modern design that doesn’t take up a lot of space, and it looks great in any home office.

A Reliable Backup System

If you damage your computer — I slipped and fell while holding my laptop — you can replace the hardware fairly easily. The data however, may not be as easy to replace. A good investment you can make is in a reliable backup system. You can choose between removable media drives (thumb drives) or external hard drives. Remember to test your backup system often to make sure you’ve actually saved your information. Also, keep two copies of your backed up data in different places, away from your home office.

Protecting Your Investment

You never know when your power may go out or when you may experience a power surge. Protect your equipment by using a surge protector. Go one step further by investing in an Uninterrupted Power Source (UPS). A UPS gives you at least five minutes to backup what you’re doing before the power goes out.

Voice Mail

Whether you use your cell phone for business or install a separate business line, make sure you’re the only person who answers your phone (unless you have an assistant). Family members, especially teenagers, aren’t always the best at taking messages. Test your outgoing message to make sure there aren’t any noises in the background that you didn’t notice while you were recording your message.

Keeping up with the latest technology is challenging and at times, frustrating. By finding the right equipment to meet your needs, you’ll be able to keep up with technology and furnish your home office with equipment that will help you stay productive.

]]>Unplugging and Going Offline to Increase Your Life’s Balancehttps://www.modernmami.com/wahm/going-offline-increase-life-balance/
https://www.modernmami.com/wahm/going-offline-increase-life-balance/#commentsTue, 07 Sep 2010 17:58:43 +0000https://www.modernmami.com/?p=3000Last week, I unplugged four out of the five weeknights. After 4:30/5 pm, I was off the computer and remained off. One night I was forced to unplug, but that’s another story you can read about on 40weeks Plus. However, what I realized last week was how great unplugging can be. I still think I […]

Last week, I unpluggedfour out of the five weeknights. After 4:30/5 pm, I was off the computer and remained off. One night I was forced to unplug, but that’s another story you can read about on 40weeks Plus. However, what I realized last week was how great unplugging can be. I still think I got lots done – work-wise anyway, not in the home – but, I don’t feel overly spent.

Something else I found myself doing was connecting with my husband in small ways. Nothing major – but, I would catch myself staring at him, admiring the hard work he does to be a good father and husband. I found myself actually missing him and yearning to be near him. It brought back memories of those intense, passionate, and highly emotional days when we were only sixteen and learning to love each other.

Wonderful, isn’t it?

My unplugging continued through the long holiday weekend. I don’t think I opened the laptop more than once over the three day weekend, rarely checked in on email on my phone, and only tweeted once or twice over the weekend. While it wasn’t 100% unplugged, anyone who knows about working from home, especially in social media, knows it really was unplugging compared to a normal day.

And, not surprisingly, my world is not turned upside down. Sure, I have a few more emails to answer than I did on Friday afternoon, but nothing urgent. Yes, I could have gotten ahead on blog writing for this week, but all will not be lost. Instead, I have a weekend full of family time to show for it and many laughs that were shared. If only the house had cleaned itself while we were having fun this weekend…

Very timely, as I was going through my google reader account yesterday, these two posts were there waiting for me to read: